Household debt
Cost-of-living crisis? It pays to be a Boomer
Life is getting desperate for those bearing the full brunt of the economic crisis, but it is a very different story for cashed-up older Australians.
- by Colin Kruger
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Housing crisis
Brianna signed up for a home build. Three years later she lives with her parents
Ordinary families caught in the state’s housing construction gridlock are facing looming payment deadlines, putting loans for their unfinished homes under threat.
- by Claire Ottaviano
Opinion
Opinion
Young people are taking on more debt. We should all be worried
The risk of defaulting on a loan is on the rise for young Australians, but its a crisis that should concern all of us.
- by Victoria Devine
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Cost of living
Australia’s generation gap: Default risk rising faster for under 30s
There are signs that higher interest rates and a slowing economy are now taking a disproportionate toll on young Australians.
- by Matt Wade
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Payments
Up to your eyeballs in debt? Join the club as WA mortgages break record
The average figure West Australians are taking out for mortgages has broken the record, jumping more than $30,000 in just three months.
- by Michael Genovese
Two years of tightening belts: How our spending habits have changed under Albanese
Consumers have had to rearrange their shopping baskets since the 2022 election to continue buying the things they need.
- by Rachel Clun
Analysis
Interest rates
Australians have been dipping into their piggy banks just to make ends meet
Growth at 0.1 per cent is abysmal. GDP per capita has fallen by 1.6 per cent since mid-2022. You don’t see that sort of fall outside a deep recession.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Federal budget
If Chalmers gets the budget wrong, interest rate rises may kill his government
For Treasurer Jim Chalmers, this budget is existential. Bad decisions could increase unemployment or provoke more interest rate rises. Both would be political nails in the government’s coffin.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Home loans
How to get a bit of breathing space on your home loan
You can forget about pandemic-level mortgage breaks – but you can still get some reprieve on your loan if you follow these five steps.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
The economy is on a knife edge. An interest rate change could tip the balance
The RBA board said it was not yet confident inflation was definitely tracking down in its estimated time frame. Here’s what the board will be watching closely to make sure it does.
- by Rachel Clun
Exclusive
Cost of living
Victorians suffer the biggest jump in financial distress as cost of living soars
More than half of Victorians are experiencing cost-of-living and personal debt distress beyond normal levels.
- by Broede Carmody